Yu-Gi-Oh! 5M's - Miracle Rising
by egofinale
Summary: Five of the six Signers died before the events of the last three episodes of 5D's. Five years later the only survivor has sunk into despair and abandoned his deck and his old life. Then, a strange girl with a familiar deck appears in his apartment, and decides it's up to her to give him back his hope. Rated M for adult themes and violence. Updates Fridays.
1. Episode 1 - Envoy of the Spirits

**Episode 1**: **Envoy of the Spirits**

_Darkness. That was all he saw: a darkness so deep, so absolute, there was no escaping it. And from the depths of that void, they came as they always did. The screams. The shouts of terror._

"_Help us!"_

"_Save us!"_

"_You're our only hope!"_

_Calling, all of them calling him. But what could he do? He was as powerless as ever in this dark world, and the screams continued, fear twisting to become anger..._

"_Why don't you save us?"_

…_doubt…_

"_Where are you?!"_

…_and finally, despair._

"_No…it's too late."_

_The words burned through his mind as the world burned down around them._

_Too late. He was too late to save them._

/-/

He woke with a start, eyes wild, head pounding. Gasping, he pulled the sweat-drenched blankets off his bare chest and got out of bed. He fumbled, half-asleep, for the switch next to his bedroom door, blinking furiously when the room burst with yellow light.

His head throbbing, he made his way out of the tiny bedroom, nearly tripping over the history books he had left on the ground near his closet door. Not that he registered any of that. One second, he was waking up; the next, he was in the cramped bathroom, trying not to think about the dream as he splashed cold water onto his face.

A gaunt, haggard-looking man stared back at him from the other side of the mirror. His dark red hair was matted and badly in need of combing, and his tired blue eyes belied his twenty-three years. He locked eyes with the stranger he had become and held his gaze for another instant, then he stumbled out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. On instinct, he headed straight for the kitchen, his thoughts on coffee and pop quizzes. But to get to the kitchen of his small apartment, he had to pass through the living room.

_Just walk by it. Don't look at the fireplace. Don't—_

Of course, he looked, and, of course, his eyes landed on the newspaper clipping that dominated the wall above his fireplace. The source of the dreams he dared not remember; the source of the pain he dared not forget. The night that had ended everything.

**FIRE KILLS TEAM 5D'S! LONE SURVIVOR MISSING!**

The shock hit him just as hard then as it had five years ago.

_Dead_.

They were all dead, and it was his fault.

No, he couldn't do this to himself, couldn't sink into grief anymore. That way lay madness.

But sometimes, he wondered if madness was really any worse than regret.

/-/

"So, who knows what the capital of Denmark is?"

A young girl immediately began bouncing up and down in her seat, waving her hand, her brown pigtails moving in rhythm.

He smiled. "Yes, Maddie?"

"C-Copenwagon!" the girl blurted.

He chuckled. "I think you mean _Copenhagen, _Maddie," he said kindly.

"Yeah," Maddie said, burying her face in her hands. "That's what I meant."

"Hey, Doofball, why're you so stupid?" a dark-haired boy called from the back of the room.

"Now, Maxwell, let's not be rude," he chided.

"My name is Max," the boy said. "Who names their son _Maxwell,_ anyway?"

There was a series of titters from the rest of his classmates, which he silenced with a scalding glare.

"I'm sure your parents chose that name for a good reason," his teacher replied, "and anyway, this has nothing to do with class. Now, remember, we have a test next Tuesday, so I want you all to be prepared. Open to the Chapter 15 Review, and do questions 1 through 9."

He shook his head fondly as the sixth graders began flipping noisily through their textbooks. He loved teaching, but sometimes, the weekend just couldn't come early enough.

Out of the corner of his eye, he checked the clock above the classroom door. 3:15. He could handle fifteen more minutes.

/-/

She sauntered down the hill toward the Goldmoss apartment complex, her bright, green eyes darting this way and that as she took in the environment around her. Four rows of cars, mostly old and rusty, lined the parking lot. In between the rows of cars were rows of tall pine trees, their leaves exclaiming the bright colors of autumn. Across the parking lot, there stood a worn brick building, reddish-brown and five stories tall. She headed there, swinging her arms lightly by her sides as she walked.

_I like his taste in buildings,_ a sarcastic voice spoke in her mind.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered, not sparing her duel spirit a glance.

_Hey, I'm just saying,_ the monster continued. _He could have chosen a fancy, luxurious place. Instead, he lives here. I honestly already respect him for it. He'll treat you right._

"It's not like that, Steam," she said, glaring. "And I would thank you not to talk like it is. I'm here for _him_."

Steam snorted. _Oh, I'm sure._

She was just about to deliver a scathing retort when she heard a squeak from behind her. She turned around to see a family of four squirrels peeking inquisitively at her from the branches of the nearest tree. Unlike anyone else who might be watching, however, she also saw the pale green lines stretching from the squirrels to her Duel Cube.

"No, Woods," she sighed. "We're not doing this now."

She heard Woods's deep, husky grumble from inside her Duel Cube. _You're no fun._

"Well, I'm sorry for not wanting to be conspicuous," she said. "But if you really want to jeopardize everything we're doing to play with some squirrels, well, that's on you. I'll be sure to mention it to Yu the next time we see her."

She felt a slight shift in the air as the spirit dissipated the energy lines, and grinned, despite herself. Nothing like the mention of their "boss" to get her team back on track.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and then she quickened her pace and crossed the parking lot.

"Hello, mister!" she called to the old man sitting on the first-floor balcony. The man looked up from examining a bright yellow flowerpot and smiled down at her.

"'Ello, lass," he said, "an' who might yeh be?"

Smiling, she reached into her pocket and took out a card.

"I'm here to see the owner of this card," she said.

To his credit, the old man didn't flinch, but the slight widening of his eyes gave him away.

_Jackpot._

"I…don' know who yeh mean," the man said cautiously.

She sighed. _Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way._

From inside her deck, she heard a muted snicker.

"Sir," she said, ignoring her spirits and addressing the old man, "I don't know if he's told you, but…"

She hesitated.

_Come on, say it. You know you want to._

"Shut _up,_ Steam."

"'Scuse me?" the old man said.

"Oh! Nothing!" she cried, startled. She was messing up already! "Ah…"

Why had she spoken out loud to her duel spirit, when she could have thought the words at him? In fact, why had she spoken to him at all? She needed to concentrate.

But she couldn't, for the life of her, think of anything.

_What do I say? What do I say?!_

_I don't know; why didn't you plan this earlier?_ Steam replied.

_I was on the bus, trying not to hurl, earlier!_

_Well, standing here yelling at me isn't going to help anyone,_ he huffed. _Just go with my original plan. You know, the one I suggested back at home._

_Pretending to be his girlfriend? No way!_

_Well,_ Steam said, _you better think of something soon. Mr. Flowerpot's looking at you like you're bonkers._

It was true, the old man looked worried. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Later, she would muse that her flustered expression was what sold the act.

"It's just" she began, "it's just that I know who he is. I've known him for years—"

_Technically true, though not at all reciprocated,_ Steam remarked unhelpfully.

"—but he doesn't know I'm here—"

_What the—why the bloody hell would you even say that?_

"—and I'd appreciate it if you'd let me in…so…I…can…"

_Ugh, you're hopeless,_ Steam groaned. _Surprise him. Go with, "surprise him."_

"…so I can surprise him," she finished lamely.

She was afraid to look at the man, sure he would see right through her and call her bluff. She couldn't believe her luck when, instead, he said, "I understand."

"You do?"

_He does? Because I sure didn't._

"Course I understand," the man said, his smile warming. "I use'ta be a young lad; I know all about them 'secret meetups.'"

_Well…that works,_ Steam said, his amusement palpable.

"I—"

"No need ta say a word," the man said, standing up so quickly she would have thought he was twenty-five. "I'm just so happy ta know the boy finally found a girl." He grinned. "And a pretty one at that. Yeh get all dressed up fer him?"

She blushed again. "Hardly. I'm wearing what I always wear."

He gave an approving nod, and before she could say another word, he disappeared into his apartment. Standing on her toes, she could just see him through the balcony door, rummaging through a drawer.

_The man's a creep,_ Steam said.

_Not every nice person is a creep, Steam._

_Did you see the way he was ogling you? And that "pretty" remark? Definitely a creep._

_Look, I just wanna—_

"There we go!" the old man cried happily, and he stepped back out onto the balcony, a small yellow card clutched in his hand. He tossed the card down to her, and she caught it.

"There's 'is extra room card," the man said. "Yeh make sure ta return that to me, yeh hear? Don' wanna be getting' inteh any trouble with 'im."

She nodded. "Yes, sir! Thank you sir!"

He smiled down at her. "The name's Frank," he said.

"Thank you, Frank," she amended, grinning.

"Eh, 's no problem. You take care now, y'hear?"

She gave him a thumbs-up and ran to the main door. After swiping the card dramatically on the lock, she made her way inside the apartment complex.

"The card says 'Room 27B,'" she observed. "Are there really that many apartments in here? Place looks like it could barely fit four rooms a floor."

_It's an apartment complex, not a manor,_ Steam said, then he pointed at the wall to their right. Here, look at this.

Directly to the right of the main entrance was a bulletin board that housed several pieces of paper. There was a reminder about mortgage due dates, a notice reminding the tenants of the next barbecue event, and what seemed to be an angry letter addressed to "You Goddamn Hipster." Below all that, stretching across the entirety of the lower half of the board, was a list of tenants and their respective room numbers.

_See?_ Steam said. _There are eight apartments on this floor, six each on the second and third floors, five on the fourth floor, and four on the fifth. His room is the only one with a letter at the end._

"Well, that's just weird," she said. "You think he's a guest of honor or something? Maybe it's like a penthouse?"

Steam sighed. _I doubt it,_ he said, as they began the walk up to the fifth floor. _What's more likely is that it's linked to the room next to it, Room 27. Probably a double-offer, and, since nobody was using the set, he got the one for cheaper._

"That's…oddly specific."

_You learn a few things living in the Slifer Red dorm,_ Steam said wistfully. Then his tone grew serious. _And if you're going to make it in the real world, you're going to have to think that way. Money is important; you can't expect anyone else to pay for you anymore._

She gave him a little punch, feeling a warm breeze where her skin passed through him.

"Moron," she laughed. "I'm not Daddy's little girl anymore. I _can_ handle living on my own. I have."

_I know you have,_ he said, ruffling her hair affectionately. _But you understand, I have to bother you from time to time. This seemed an apt moment to inject some fatherly wisdom into the conversation, and I thought he would appreciate it._

She smiled. "Of course."

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, neither needing anything more than the other's company. When, finally, they reached the fifth floor, she saw that Steam's guess had been correct: Rooms 27 and 27B were closer together than any other rooms, but the letterless apartment had an, "OPEN FOR RENT – LIMITED-TIME SALE" sign on its door.

"Hm, looks like you were right," she said.

Steam nodded. _Like I said: I already like the way this man thinks._

"Cheap?"

_No, practical, you brat._

She laughed at that, and gave another dramatic shout as she slashed the card through the lock. There was a brief moment of silence, and then—

_Click!_

And just like that, she was in. She was in!

_Don't get too happy,_ Steam reminded her. _This is only step one, and you already almost failed with Pedopot._

She snorted. "Pedopot?"

_Shut up. You get what I mean._

And she did. He was right, of course: she couldn't afford to get careless. But at that moment, all she could think was that she was in, and she was ready.

And she was _hungry._

"Well, we've got an hour, last I checked," she said, pulling out a small packet from her pocket. "Who wants cake?"

/-/

He pulled the yellow cord to signal a stop, and stood up.

"Have a nice day," he called back to the bus driver.

Humming a soft tune, he made his way across the parking lot, smiling as he passed a group of chattering squirrels. He waved to Frank, who was sitting on his balcony as usual. The old man looked up from his plants and gave him a toothy grin.

"Yeh little rascal," his neighbor called. "I knew yeh had it in yeh!"

Perplexed, he asked what Frank meant.

"Why, the young filly, o'course!" Frank laughed. "Sweeter'n sweet tea, all prim an' proper. 'Hello, sir,' "yes, sir," 'no, sir.' And a goshdarn beauty if I ever saw one."

_A beautiful girl? And me? What?_

"I…don't know who you mean," he said honestly.

The old man grinned conspiratorially, and he had to stand directly under the balcony to hear his next words.

"Don' yeh worry," Frank said. "She said she wanted ta surprise yeh, but I figure a man's best prepared, and you don' seem prepared. I won't tell anyone about 'er if yeh don' want me to, though. Let 'er in myself so she wouldn't hafta get by Moss's brat. You know how he would be."

He smiled at that. Frank had had a long-standing feud with their landlord's irreverent son ever since the young man had been placed in charge of their apartment complex last May. Frank didn't like how lax and callous the kid was, and Dwayne Moss, in turn, thought Frank was an uppity old-timer. There was a bet among the other tenants about how far the old man would go just to spite the teen. Between sending him used mulch bags in the mail, and carving his plants' names on the boy's room door, letting a girl in without permission was pretty tame.

Not that he knew who this girl was. He told Frank so, and was surprised when his neighbor's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Look," Frank said. "Yeh trusted me with yer secrets, and I trusted yeh with mine—secrets much bigger than a hush-hush lover. I thought we were past hidin' things from one another."

He was right, of course. It had taken him almost two years to finally open up to someone, but he was glad it had been Frank. He remembered how desolate those first twenty months had been, remembered the joy he had felt when he'd realized (as he should have known) that there was much more to Frank than a grouchy old man obsessed with plants. All it had taken was one night of painful rumination and an offer of tea the next morning, and the man he used to avoid like everyone else had become his closest confidant. It was through Frank's insistence that he had made friends with the other tenants, and even found a job teaching at a nearby middle school. It was through Frank that he felt a sliver of his old confidence returning to him. So, yes, they were far past hiding things from one another.

And yet…

"Frank, I _really_ don't know who you're talking about," he insisted.

His neighbor's eyes widened. "Are yeh serious?" the man cried.

He nodded. "I am. Some girl came looking for me? Who is she? Did she tell you her name?"

Frank shook his head. "Flappin' fetunias," he cursed. "An' here I thought…but she—"

Suddenly, his old neighbor's confusion was replaced with horror.

"What is it?" he prompted. "Frank, what's wrong?"

"She had yer card," Frank whispered.

And he dashed away before the old man could say another word.

/-/

_He's here. I can sense him._

"Yeah. Me too."

/-/

He swiped his keycard cautiously, and slowly opened the door to his apartment. If he hadn't already known something was wrong, he would have realized it immediately: The air was thick with a strange, sweet smell.

_Is that…cake?_

"Hello?" he called nervously, scanning his apartment for the alleged intruder.

He didn't have far to look. There, sitting on his living room couch, flipping through some of his old albums, was a brown-haired young woman. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties, and was staring intently at one of the pictures, a slice of half-eaten chocolate cake in her right hand.

He couldn't help it. He screamed.

The girl looked up.

"Quiet," she said, sounding perfectly unperturbed. "Why are you shouting?"

"Why-why am I shouting?" he cried. "Why are _you_ in my house?"

The girl sighed and closed the album, setting it and the piece of cake on a tray next to her. She looked up at him, more curious than contrite.

"So, it's really you, then?" she asked, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

He just gaped. _The nerve of this girl!_

"I'll be asking the questions here," he said in what he hoped was an authoritative voice. "What _are_ you doing in my house?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she said, smiling slightly. "I'm eating some cake and looking through some old pictures. Is that so wrong?"

"Look, kid," he said, sighing. "You can't just—"

"Don't call me _kid,_" she cut in, an edge of irritation in her voice.

"Right. Well, I'm sure you think this is funny, and normally, I'd laugh with you and ask what you wanted, and why you_made cake _in my house…"

"But…?" the girl prompted, eyes sparkling with amusement.

_But you have my card. You know who I am, and you haven't said it yet for some reason._

"I…really don't like people touching my albums," he said instead.

She smirked. He couldn't blame her; it had been awfully lame.

"Still so strange," she mused, then she smiled brightly. "Ah well! Nothing we can't work around!"

She stood up, and he got a better look at her. She really was quite beautiful, in the way you would never notice unless someone had mentioned it. She was almost as tall as he was, give or take an inch, and as pale as he was tan. Her chocolate-brown hair was tied into two braids that reached a bit below her shoulders, and bounced when she moved. She wore a Duel Academy uniform, except this girl's blazer was a striking emerald green, the same color as her eyes. Eyes that were fixed intently on him.

"It's been too long," she said quietly.

_Too long since what? I've never seen you in my life!_

"What are you even talking about?" he wondered aloud.

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she pulled a small, golden cube out of her pocket and strapped it to her left wrist.

She smiled fiercely, and he felt his insides twist. He knew that look.

With a happy cry, she placed the palm of her right hand on the strange cube, and the square face glowed with red light as it read her palmprint. The device immediately began shifting, plastic and metal rearranging. In the span of ten seconds, the girl had a strange-looking Duel Disk strapped to her arm. It was shaped like an old Academy Disk, the kind from the time of Zane Truesdale and Aster Phoenix, but instead of a colored trim, like the Duel Academy graduate disks, its edges were lined with soft feather designs of deepest blue. It was gold where Academy disks were usually white, and red in the Monster Zones, instead of gray.

The girl removed the deck that was inside the Duel Disk, took out a few cards, and pocketed the rest. Then, from her other jeans pocket, she removed a second deck, and, grinning, placed it and the few other cards into the disk. He watched silently throughout all this, even as she stared directly at him, her eyes shining.

"I've been waiting a long time for this!" she cried, striking a dramatic pose. "I challenge you to a Duel!"

He shook his head sadly. "Sorry. You're a few years late."

The girl's smile drooped slightly. "What?"

"I'm not a duelist anymore," he clarified.

For a few seconds, the girl just stared in what he assumed was shock. Then, in a low voice, she said, "You're serious?"

He nodded gravely. "I am."

"Is it because of…?" her eyes darted toward the newspaper clipping on his wall, then to his album.

He swallowed. "I don't know what you mean."

Frank had said she had his card, but she still hadn't said anything about it. Until she did, he would maintain plausible deniability. He knew it was stupid, pointless, even. But still…

The girl studied him intently for another minute or so. He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head.

_Please, just leave. Forget whatever you think you know_.

The girl finally looked into his eyes again, and smiled sadly. "I'll just be going, then," she said, heading past the door. As she passed by him, she bumped into him, and her deck fell out of her Duel Disk.

"Oh!" she cried, bending down to retrieve her cards. He bent down to help her, and then—

A thrum of pure energy, of love and recognition…and fear.

_No way._

"What's that?" he demanded.

The girl looked up at him and grinned, even as she gathered cards.

He was still in shock over what he had just seen. Frank had said she had "his card," and that could only be one card…but he hadn't mentioned any others. Not…not all of that. Not what he had just seen.

_They were all there. All of them. I felt it._

When he could finally think of something to say, the girl had gathered all the cards and placed them back into her Duel Disk.

"Where…where did you get that deck?" he rasped.

The girl smiled. "What, this deck? I just found it lying around somewhere, _abandoned_. Why? Do you know whose it is?"

He seethed. "You know exactly whose it is," he said through gritted teeth.

The girl's smile widened into an infuriating grin. "Yes, I do," she said. "The question is, do you?"

"Don't mock me," he growled. "Just tell me how and when you got that deck."

"You really think you deserve to know?" she said, her voice suddenly angry. She stepped up closer to him, all traces of her earlier humor gone. "You seem to be operating under some kind of delusion. That you can just let things go. That you never cared, and you never will. But you care now, don't you?"

"I…no, I just—"

She snorted "It's obvious you're not ready to live in the present. And now, what? You want to know where I got your deck? I got it from where you left it. From where you _deserted_ it. You moved halfway across the world, changed your name and your _awesome_ hair, and you even left your deck where you thought nobody would ever find it—all in an attempt to escape the past."

He just stared, unable to say a word. Who was this girl?

"Well, guess what?" she continued. "It didn't work. So let's stop beating around the bush. I know who you are. All that's left is for us to duel."

He glared, and she glared back. Finally, he looked away. "_You,_ little girl, seem to be operating under the delusion that you have me all figured out," he said. "But how do you know you're not completely wrong? How do you know you haven't just travelled miles and miles, searching for a legend that's been dead for five years? How do you know you haven't let your own dreams run away with you?"

He knew those were hurting words, and for a brief second, he wondered what was wrong with him.

_It's better this way. I live a good life now, and I don't need to go back to that._

The girl just shook her head. "First of all, I already said, don't call me _little girl_. I'm nineteen years old. And second, no, of course I can't be completely sure you're who i say you are, until we duel. And before you ask, no, I'm not giving you your deck."

"That's not my deck," he insisted, hating himself even as he did. "And anyway, you're not listening to me. I'm not a d—"

"You're right," she cut in angrily, "I'm not listening to you! Are you hearing yourself talk? You just disowned your deck! You just disowned dueling!"

He sighed. "I disowned both a long time ago, because one no longer meant anything to me, and I wasn't good enough for the other. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The girl didn't move. "What, you think that makes you sound impressive or something? Just pull out your Duel Disk and whatever deck you're using now so I can beat some sense into you!"

He turned away from her. "If you're not going to leave, I'll have to call the police."

From behind him, he heard the girl make an angry noise. "Are you serious?" she raged. "Is this what you do to anything you can't handle now? You just turn your back on it and hope it goes away?"

He ignored her and walked toward the phone.

"You're acting like a coward!"

He tried to tune her out, kept walking, wishing she'd stop. But she wasn't finished just yet.

"I never thought I'd see Yusei Fudo, the great _hero of the people,_ reduced to this."

"I am _not_ a hero!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

He turned to see the girl smiling triumphantly.

"I—"

"I knew it," she said softly. "I just knew it was you."

Yusei sighed and sat down on the couch. "I guess there's no point in hiding it, is there? Not like there ever was. Yes, it's me."

The girl sat down next to him. "So then…why?" she asked. "Why do all this? Why go to such great – and frankly, desperate – lengths to hide yourself? Why turn your back on dueling? Why is your hair _red_?"

"Because I had no choice," he said. "The day they…the day it happened. I realized that I wasn't the hero the world wanted me to be. They hailed me as a savior, the man who prevented the world's destruction. But I couldn't even prevent the deaths of my friends."

"Yusei…"

"I wasn't worthy of the praise they heaped on me!" he shouted, the sudden passion in his voice surprising even him. More quietly, he continued, "I wasn't worthy of _anyone's_ praise or sympathy. And I definitely wasn't worthy of the dueling deck I had. I left New Domino City, in favor of a quiet life here, in Michigan. I left my deck because I knew my monsters would never be able to forgive me. At least, that's what I thought then. I had let my friends die. There was no coming back from that."

"I see." The girl's eyes, at first sympathetic, now blazed with anger. "So what you're saying is that things got rough and you ran away."

"You're not getting it—"

"I think I'm getting it perfectly! I think I get it more than you do!"

The force of her words silenced him, and seeing this, she charged on.

"I think that, finally, in your darkest hour, you allowed despair into your heart. And who wouldn't? Your friends had just died!"

He flinched, and she went on talking, heedless.

"But apparently, you don't know how this kind of stuff works. You, the great Yusei Fudo, apparently haven't felt despair often enough to know how to cope."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, feeling his own defensive anger rise up.

"I think you were scared, and that you didn't know what to do. But instead of doing what you normally do and getting up, you stayed down! No, you weren't even content with that!" She was standing now, frustration visible on her face. "You turned your back on your deck! You crawled away like a scared little kid! Like a coward!"

She took out the deck from her Duel Disk and held it out to him. "But look: even after all that, it's come back to you. Will you turn your back on it even now?"

Yusei stared at her in a panic, his mind going blank. He buried his head in his hands. "I don't need a deck of cards to be happy in life."

She looked at him in disgust. "You know that's not the point," she spat. "But maybe there's no hope for you anymore. You've been wallowing in despair for five long years. Maybe that's it, and the miracle's over. Maybe it's time for the world to move on. Lord knows _you_ have."

She stood up straight and stared directly into his eyes. "But I refuse to accept that! And if you won't use your deck, then _I'll_ use it to prove I'm right! So pull out the deck I _know_ you have, and let's duel!"

Yusei sighed. "Listen, kid. I –"

She leaned in close. "No, _you_ listen, moron," she hissed. "You call me _kid_ or _little girl_ one more time and I will knock your block off. I'm only four years younger than you, and a hell of a lot stronger."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow, but she ignored him.

"And another thing: I travelled by bus for _six days_ to get here. Six days on all sorts of cramped and crowded, sweaty and rickety bus rides. Just to see _you_. Whatever else you may think of me, the effort I put into bringing you back your deck should count for something. So you better cut the crap fast or somebody's gonna get hurt. And it ain't gonna be me, either."

He nodded resignedly. "If it'll get you to leave. The disk is under my bed. I'll go get it."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_"If they duel me, they're my friend."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, uh, yeah. Hi, guys. This is my first fanfic ever, and I'm already having fun with it. I'll just say here and now that I'm gonna end up using some cards I made up myself, and they're gonna play a big role in the story. Yeah, there's supposed to be a big, overarching plot here, as you can probably tell by the 5,000-word first episode with no duels in it. There'll be a duel next episode, I promise. :P

Comments and criticism of all kinds are welcome. Thank you for reading, and have a good night.

Next episode is called, "Reincarnation of Hope."


	2. Episode 2 - Reincarnation of Hope

**Episode 2: Reincarnation of Hope**

The evening was crisp, the sky colorful, the autumn wind chill against their faces and backs.

They stood on opposite sides of the rooftop, facing each other: he, squinting into the low sun, and she, smiling so brightly as if trying to outshine it.

"So we're agreed," Yusei said. "If you win, I—"

"Take me as your apprentice!"

"—yes, take you as my…_what_?"

The girl grinned widely.

"No, no way!" Yusei cried. "Where did that even come from?"

"Hey, man, you already said you'd duel me if I left afterward. What's the fun in that unless you _make_ me leave, and by winning against your own deck, too? This way you can prove that you don't need it anymore!"

He sighed. This girl was infuriating.

"Fine, fine. If you win, I'll take you on as my apprentice—not going to happen. But if _I_ win— "

"—_totally_ not gonna happen—"

"—then you leave, take my old deck with you, and promise never to tell anyone about me or bother me again."

She nodded. "It's a deal!"

Yusei smiled grimly. It seemed fitting. One duel with the deck he'd abandoned. A fair price to pay for leaving everything behind.

Not that he intended to pay anything.

"I'm still the Fourth King of Games," he said. "Five years without my main deck is only a small handicap."

At that, she frowned.

"You've already lost," she said quietly.

Yusei blinked. "Come again?"

"I said you've already lost," she repeated. "You've already lost this duel. There's no way you'll win using any deck, if that's the attitude you have toward them. Even _my_ monsters would hesitate to help me win, if I talked like that about them."

With every word she spoke, her voice rose and Yusei's sense of foreboding increased.

_I should have known_.

This girl was one of those people, the type of person he had been, himself. The type who believed there was something more to this game of cards than everyone thought. Because of his old way of thinking, Yusei found it very hard to deal with these people, and tended to avoid conversation with them whenever he could. The trick, he had found, was to be empty and cold. The more he distanced himself from them, the less they could sway him with their impressive words and wishful thinking.

"I don't know what you mean," he said.

The girl smiled sadly. "So it's come to this, huh? Yusei Fudo, the Signer of the Dragon's Head, denying everything?"

_Damn her._

She just had to go and mention the Crimson Dragon. Well, at least she wasn't pulling any punches. Maybe if he shut her up about this, she would stay quiet and just duel. Maybe she would even leave.

"The Crimson Dragon was real," he conceded. "As were the Dark Signers, and Z-one's apocalypse. I'd be a fool not to admit that."

He took a deep breath. He didn't want to get into this with her, but judging by the insistence with which she had gotten him to duel her, he doubted she would let him change the subject.

"Those things are real," he continued, "but that's it. The Crimson Dragon decided to channel its power through us, not because we were duelists, per se, but because we were the most qualified in the art that its enemies practiced. If the Dark Signers had so chosen, they could have just as easily decided the fate of the world with a game of basketball, and Kobe would have my Signer Mark. And if Z-one's world grew up obsessed with smartphones, he would have gone and massacred the people of Silicon Valley, maybe allowed their best developer to prove himself in an app design competition first."

He had had exactly two conversations about this with Frank, after which they'd both decided to drop the subject, and Yusei had decided his stance on the matter. But now, with this girl challenging him, he felt all the old doubts coming back, and he needed to prove to himself that he did believe what he was saying.

"That there's no such thing as 'turning my back on dueling,'" he said. "Because the truth is, dueling is not innately special. Dueling is simply a sport that gained so much popularity, that practically everyone started to do it. And soon, it became efficient to use duels as a source of energy, because of how many people do it every day, everywhere."

He took another deep breath, and, when he found himself shivering, decided it would be best for his mental state to blame it on the wind.

"The world is fixated on dueling; it revolves around this game—but only because we've allowed it to. The game itself is not powerful; it's what we ourselves have made of it."

He had to show her what he meant, he had to make her see that he had thought about it. Damn it all, he had thought so much about it, wished so hard for it to be true, but even so…

"This whole thing about cards having feelings, about duel spirits and spirit worlds…I don't buy into any of that. I once did, but…"

He trailed off when he noticed the expression on the girl's face. Throughout his entire speech, she had been silent, apparently shocked by his blasphemy. But now, her face was red with rage so powerful, he could feel the heat radiating from her. Eyes narrowed, fists clenched, mouth pressed into a hard line, she stood there, shaking, for almost a minute.

_What happened? Is she really that opposed to what I said?_

"Hey," he said quietly, "is something wrong?"

The girl's entire body seemed to relax then, all the curves and edges smoothing out, her enraged expression now blank.

_What's with that?_

The girl sighed. "I know," she muttered. "I get it. It's just so _wrong!_"

Yusei stared. Was she talking to herself?

_Figures the first person to find me would be a nutjob._

"Hey!" she yelled. "I'm not crazy."

He startled. "I never said you were."

She grinned, taking him by surprise. "But you were looking at me like I was."

He shrugged. "You were talking to yourself."

She just laughed.

Yusei smirked. "Weren't you just annoyed with me?"

She laughed again. "Don't be so conceited," she said. "Nothing you can say will ever stop me from enjoying a duel. Besides, it's not really—"

She paused, her eyes going blank for a moment, before speaking again.

"I'm dueling the Fourth King of Games! I'm dueling to bring him back to what he once was. How can I be anything but psyched?"

_How flattering. Probably better to just go along with her for now. She might spontaneously combust if I say the wrong thing again._

"Fine by me," he said. "Not like you're going to beat me. I know my deck like the back of my hand."

The girl raised a brow. "I think we can end the witty banter here," she said.

"Also fine by me."

They faced off.

**DUEL!**

**? (LP 4000) VS Yusei (LP 4000)**

"I'll go first!" the girl declared, drawing a card. "Haha, nice! I activate the Spell Card, Reincarnation of Hope! Now I discard two cards from my hand."

After a moment's hesitation, the girl took two cards from her hand and placed them in her Graveyard.

"The cards I discarded were Sonic Chick and Turbo Synchron," she told him.

Immediately, automatically, Yusei's mind began analyzing, searching for meaning in her moves.

_Those are both very good cards. That she got rid of them so early says a lot about her hand. Either the rest of her cards are even better, or she already has a way to get them back._

"I'm sure you know," the girl said, "but I'll tell you anyway. Reincarnation of Hope pays me back for those cards I just lost: In two turns, I can add one monster card from my deck to my hand."

_A good card to use, no doubt. It'll help her out later on. But now, she only has three cards in her hand; she's limited herself already._

"Next, I'll activate Pot of Greed."

_Ah._

A grinning green pot with yellow teeth appeared in front of her and promptly shattered.

"This card lets me draw two more cards, bringing the number of cards in my hand back up to four."

_Not bad. At least she has something to work with now—_

"So I'll throw down one monster and three facedowns, and end my turn."

_—or not._

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, "but you just used up your entire hand in one turn. You sure that's a good idea?"

The girl grinned. "You leave that worry to me, okay?"

"Hm. Then it's my move," he said, drawing a card. "Time to show you what real dueling is."

/-/

She watched as he examined the cards in his hand, no doubt already mapping out several strategies for victory.

_So, what do you make of him so far?_ she asked Steam.

_The guy seems a bit too sure of his worldview,_ the duel spirit groused, _but overall, I get a good feeling from his deck. Whatever he might say about not believing in us, he sure treats his Dragunities well._

_Steam! You weren't supposed to tell me his deck type!_

Steam rolled his eyes. _You really need to learn to pay attention when you talk to us. Look._

She snapped to attention and found that the Goldmoss apartment rooftop had been transformed into a sheer canyon, with both players standing on either side.

"The Dragunity Field Spell," she breathed. "Dragon Ravine."

"Yes, I just said that," Yusei said, shaking his head.

_Great, now he thinks I'm crazy._

_Pretty sure he's been thinking that for a while now._

_You shut up, please._

_You pay attention, please. He's activating its effect._

"Dragon's Ravine allows me to discard one card from my hand to add a Level 4 or lower Dragunity monster from my Deck to my hand," Yusei said. "So by discarding Mystical Space Typhoon, I'll add Dragunity Dux to my hand."

"You discarded an MST when you could have used it?" she said incredulously. "I have three backrows, you know. Aren't you scared at all?"

_Better duelists than you have lost to him because they thought exactly that,_ Steam reminded her. _More likely than not, he has a plan._

Yusei shrugged. "I'll let you wonder about my strategy, Spacey," he said.

_Did he just…tease you?_

_I…what?_

_I think the man just teased you._

She blushed. _No way, he sounded more annoyed._

_You believe what you want to believe,_ Steam laughed.

"Now, Exodia!" Yusei called. "**Obliterate!**"

She gasped, and Yusei laughed. He actually laughed! The nerve of him!

"Try not to fall asleep, okay?" he said.

"Jerk!"

"Yeah, yeah. I activate Cards of Consonance. By discarding a Level 2 or below Dragon-type Tuner monster from my hand, I can draw two cards."

_Great,_ she groaned. _The last thing I want is for Yusei Fudo to be drawing cards against me._

_So far, both of you have done things that seem kind of stupid, then followed them up by drawing two cards,_ Steam observed.

_And…?_

_And what? I'm just saying you people are weird._

_Thank you, Steam, for that inspirational piece of wisdom._

_It's what I'm here for._

Yusei was frowning now. "How can you duel when you're so distracted?"

_Steam, seriously, I need to focus. Can you…take a backseat?_

_Hey, nobody told you to talk to me._

_Go!_

_Love you too, babe._

"Alright, fine," Yusei sighed. "Guess it's better this way; I can end this quickly. I'll send Dragunity Phalanx to the Graveyard for Cards of Consonance, and take my two cards."

He did just that, and then he smirked.

"Next, I'll activate the spell, Cup of Ace," he said.

_Oh. Oh, wow. _"You're drawing _again?_"

Yusei smiled. "I see you know what this card does," he said. "Yes, I get to draw two more cards, but only if the coin I flip lands on Heads. If it lands on Tails, you get to draw."

"Oh," she said happily. "In that case, I'll take my two cards."

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "Getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

"Nope," she said. "I told you, the decks won't let you win this. And that means they'll turn everything to my favor."

"You just keep believing that," Yusei said, as a holographic coin appeared in the air above the ravine.

The coin launched itself upward and spun, spun, spun, until—

"Tails, ha!" she said, drawing two cards. "Thank you, spirits!"

"Doesn't prove anything," Yusei muttered. "I Summon the Dragunity Dux I drew with Ravine."

A roaring green gale appeared in front of Yusei, shaping itself into the form of a winged warrior carrying an embellished staff. Dragunity Dux flapped his wings once, twice, three times, finally settling in a hover over the ravine.

**Dragunity Dux**

**{4} (Winged Beast) [WIND]**

**ATK: 1500**

Yusei's monster surveyed the field, and when his eyes landed on her, he bowed.

_Princess. It has been too long._

She smiled. _Hello, Dux. How have you and your tribe been?_

_The Dragunity live forever to serve, my Lady_, the duel spirit said, somewhat hesitantly, _but I fear that Yusei has not seen fit to…use us…as you would desire._

She shrugged. _No big deal; I'm working on it. You just keep doing what you're doing._

He seemed to relax, and bowed again. _As you wish, my Lady._

She nodded, then looked over at Yusei.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"What was what?" she asked innocently.

"I could have sworn I just saw…never mind."

"You keep telling yourself you didn't see it, Yusei," she said. "I know that most people can't, but as a Signer, I'm sure you felt something there."

"Whatever," he said. "Let's get on with the duel. Dragunity Dux gains 200 Attack Points for every Dragunity monster I control, including himself."

**Dragunity Dux**

**ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700**

"And when Dux is Normal Summoned, his effect activates, so I can equip him with a Level 3 or lower Dragon-Type Dragunity monster from my Graveyard. I choose the Dragunity Phalanx I discarded for Cards of Consonance."

_Of course you do. Phalanx can do a lot of damage._

Not that she was worried. She knew he had no chance of beating her; his cards would want to teach him a lesson, too. Even so, she had to admire how they felt about him. Dux's hesitation had made it clear that, even in defeat, they would not disgrace their master.

Not that she wanted them to.

Dux raised his staff and it transformed into a golden horn. He blew the horn, and she felt the waves of sound adjusting to form a message.

_Dragunity Phalanx, your tribe has need of your service. Rise from the ashes and rejoin your Dux._

A sky-blue opening appeared in the air next to Dux, and from it rose a small blue dragon armored in gold and silver. The dragon gave a low roar when he saw her, then he flew above Dux, and, with a flash of red light, took on the form of a golden lance. Dux grabbed it as it fell.

"Dux gains another 200 points because Phalanx is on the field," said Yusei.

**Dragunity Dux**

**ATK: 1700 + 200 = 1900**

"And now, because Dragunity Phalanx is equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon it."

Dux threw the lance into the air, and with another flash of blue light, Phalanx resumed its draconic form and joined Dux on the battlefield.

**Dragunity Phalanx**

**{2} (*Dragon*) [WIND]**

**DEF: 1100**

She nodded her acknowledgement as Phalanx roared yet again. She would not speak to him, though, as he was a lowly soldier, and therefore first and foremost the property of the Dragunity Tribe. To converse with him without asking the Dux would be an insult.

_Hey. You're getting distracted._

_How am I getting distracted?_ she said defensively. _You always said politics were very important. Well, I'm politicizing!_

_I…don't think that means what you think it means,_ Steam said. _And anyway, you have a duel going on here!_

_And I'm dueling, but it's hard to even remember what's going on with all these distractions!_

_I'll tell you what's going on,_ Steam said. _Phalanx is a—_

"—a Tuner!" she cried.

"That's right," Yusei said. "So you know what happens next. I'm tuning my Level 4 Dragunity Dux with my Level 2 Dragunity Phalanx!"

**4 + 2 = 6**

**She watched, transfixed, as Yusei's Phalanx transformed into two slowly revolving green rings. The rings aligned, and Dragunity Dux flew inside them.**

Yusei raised his right hand high above his head and began to chant:

"**Take to the sky, bearing the power of the wind! Let the heavens howl with your thundering roar!"**

**Dux became a transparent ghost of a monster, and in his place hovered four shining stars. The stars began to glow until their light filled the rings.**

_Gae Dearg,_ Steam said. _Calling it right now._

**"Synchro Summon! Appear now, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!"**

_Or that._

A shadow appeared inside the light, and as the shadow spread its wings, the light dissipated to reveal a large, purple dragon covered in red armor with gold spikes. The dragon flapped its four wings and roared, and the diamond-shaped emeralds on its head and chest glowed bright green.

**Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana**

**{6} (Dragon) [WIND]**

**ATK: 1900**

Vajrayana gave her one look and roared again, but she didn't engage in conversation. All of them knew what would happen next.

"When Vajrayana is Synchro Summoned," Yusei said, "I get to equip it with a Dragunity monster from my Graveyard. Of course, I choose Dragunity Phalanx."

Phalanx returned once again, a golden lance that lodged itself at the crown of Vajrayana's head.

"And because I did, I can once again Summon it to my field. Rise, Dragunity Phalanx!"

**Dragunity Phalanx**

**{2} (*Dragon*) [WIND]**

**DEF: 1100**

_Aaand here we go._

"Dude," she said, "these guys are OP as _hell._"

Yusei laughed. "So you've figured it out?"

_I knew it from the start, but sure, we'll go with that._

"I'm not a four-year-old," she said aloud. "Of course I figured it out. You're recycling Tuners to make stronger and stronger Synchro Monsters."

"That's right," Yusei said. "And since you're so well-informed, you'll be expecting this: I tune my Level 6 Vajrayana with my Level 2 Phalanx!"

**6 + 2 = 8**

**Synchro rings surrounded Vajrayana, and she became a cluster of stars, and then, a blinding light.**

_You do realize, _Steam said, _that if he gets out Barcha, we're sunk._

_I don't think he's summoning Barcha,_ she said. _The spirit I'm feeling is more…malevolent._

_Oh, well, that's a relief. Wouldn't want our opponents to ever summon any friendly spirits._

**Yusei raised his arm once again. This time, his fingers were clenched in a fist as he chanted:**

"**Cold hearts become hard as steel, their lingering spirits rampaging together! Feel the might of their hate-filled roar!"**

**_Nope, definitely not Barcha._**

**"Synchro Summon! Come forth, Scrap Dragon!"**

_Crrrap._

_You're just bad at calling these things._

The monster that emerged was a great purple dragon, formed of hunks of crudely-welded iron and steel. Its wings were sheets of corrugated metal, the right held in place by a giant gear; the left, by a gargantuan tire. Its eyes glowed a dangerous red, and as it flapped its wings and roared, two thick cables extended from its neck.

**Scrap Dragon**

**{8} (Dragon) [EARTH]**

**ATK: 2800**

_Crapcrapcrapcraaaap,_ Steam moaned. _Of all the random monsters he could own, he had to have this guy._

_What's wrong with this guy?_ she asked. _I mean, besides the murderous eyes and the dark-as-hell Synchro chant._

Steam looked away. _I…I dissed his mom once._

She had to stifle a laugh at that. _Seriously?_

_It was fifty-two years ago! Fifty-two! But has he forgotten it? Noooo._

_Ooookay,_ she said. _I'll be sure not to Summon you until he's gone._

_That'd be great, thanks._

Scrap Dragon looked at her for a moment, then it gave a shuddering roar and turned its glowing gaze to Yusei. She did the same.

_Ask him where he got that thing,_ Steam hissed.

_Alright, alright._

"Scrap Dragon in a Dragunity deck?" she said. "Wasn't expecting that."

"People rarely do," he said.

_That was…informative._

"I Set one card facedown," Yusei said, "then I activate the effect of Scrap Dragon. Now, I can select one card on my field and one card on yours and destroy them both. I choose the card I just Set, and your Set monster."

She watched in fascination as Yusei's dragon sent one of its cables into his facedown card, at the same time extending its neck to plunge the second cable into her Set monster. The dragon's eyes changed color, turning purple as the cables sparked with electricity of the same color. The current traveled through the cables and into the cards, which then exploded into two pillars of violet light that covered the ravine in an eerie glow. Once the light cleared, they saw Scrap Dragon standing, its cables intact, awaiting its next orders.

_Wow. I'd forgotten how intense that move was_._ Poor Shield Wing never stood a chance._

Meanwhile, Steam was now shaking uncontrollably.

"Battle!" Yusei cried. "You're wide open! Scrap Dragon, attack!"

This time, the dragon turned its cables toward her. A stream of dark energy travelled along its neck to the cables, surrounding them, black sparks arcing between them.

"Go, **Scrap Rage**!"

The dragon roared, and all the dark energy shot from its cables: a giant, lancing bolt of black lightning, headed straight for her.

_Get that thing out of here!_ Steam shrieked.

_On it!_

"You'll regret using up that MST!" she yelled. "I activate a Trap! Go, Defense Draw!"

A glowing green shield appeared in front of her and intercepted Scrap Dragon's attack.

"Not only does this card stop all damage to me; I can also draw a card!"

She did just that, and grinned at the card she pulled. It was all starting to come together. Her victory.

She looked over at Yusei, standing on the other side of the rooftop ravine. Would he be annoyed at this? Angry? Scared?

_Well, you were spacing out a lot at first,_ Steam said, considerably more calmly now that the threat had passed. _And that turn of his lasted forever, all for you to go and negate his attack like that. I'd be pretty bummed, myself._

"Good one," was all Yusei said.

_Or bored. We can live with bored._

\-\

"I end my turn," he said wearily.

This duel was exhausting him. True, it was only the end of the second turn, but _wow,_ was he tired. His opponent had drawn three cards _during his turn,_ and had negated his attack on top of that. And, worst of all: he was having fun.

Not that he would tell _her_ that. She'd probably just laugh it off and keep on dueling with that infectious grin of hers. He had already caught himself smiling four times this duel. And he was supposed to be making a point!

"My turn!" the girl cheered. "I draw!"

_Well, let's see what she's got._

Yusei watched as she examined her hand. Then she laughed. "Looks like I'm just waiting for the right pieces now," she said. "I Set one more backrow, and end my turn!"

_Three facedowns on her field now. Plus, from before, the Shield Wing and the Defense Draw. Looks like she's the heavily defensive sort of duelist._

"All that talk for this again?" Yusei teased as he drew a card.

_Damnit, what happened to not showing her I'm happy?_

At that, a part of Yusei's mind realized just how stupid he was being.

_Yeah, well, shut up. Get on with the duel._

"I Set one card and activate Scrap Dragon's effect one more time," he said. "Say goodbye to the facedown on the far right!"

Scrap Dragon extended its cables one more time, preparing to—

"Oh, no you don't!" she cried. "By discarding Effect Veiler from my hand, I can—"

"—negate my monster's effect until the End Phase. Nice."

From the girl's hand emerged an angelic figure with long, light-blue hair and giant, white wings. With a flap of those wings, she sent a paralyzing cloud of white dust toward Scrap Dragon, causing it to spark and fizz and retract its cables.

"Guess I'll just attack, then," Yusei said. "Go, **Scrap Rage**!"

The dragon's cables clashed as it roared. The black bolt soared toward her once again, and she faced it with determination.

"Not even that much!" she shouted. "I activate the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow Trap! This allows me to negate your attack and set the card for use again next turn."

True to its name, a scrap-iron scarecrow rose from the Trap, and the dragon's attack slammed into it, causing it to explode while its master remained unharmed.

"Alright then, you got me this time," Yusei conceded. "I'll Set two cards of my own, and end my turn."

"Not so fast!" the girl said. "I activate a Trap!"

"During my End Phase?"

She nodded. "Go, Reinforce Truth! This card allows me to Special Summon one Level 2 or lower Warrior-Type monster from my deck, but I can't attack on the turn I use this card."

Yusei shrugged a shoulder. "I can live with that," he said. "And, of course, you did it during _my_ End Phase so that you could attack next turn."

_So she's obviously planning something big._

"That's right!" she said. "So come on out, Hero Kid!"

_Hero what?_

A young, dark-blue-haired boy in a stylized black and red suit burst from the girl's deck, his red visor and clear glass helmet sliding onto his face as he flew on silver, rocket-propelled armor, finally hovering over the ravine in a crouch.

**Hero Kid**

**{2} (Warrior) [EARTH]**

**DEF: 600**

"I don't remember ever owning this card," Yusei said.

"You don't," the girl said. "He's one of my cards. I can't just duel with _your_ deck; it'd be like you were dueling yourself!"

"Uh, sure."

"Though, really, you really should own him," she said. "After all, his effect suits your deck perfectly."

_His effect?_

"When Hero Kid is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon any number of Hero Kids from my deck!"

Two more Hero Kids burst from her deck and floated near their companion, also in Defense Position.

"So you've summoned three Level 2 monsters," Yusei said. "Can I end my turn now?"

She bowed graciously. "Be my guest."

Yusei rolled his eyes.

_Seriously, though, there's no way she's getting by me with just those three. And even if she uses them to Summon a stronger monster, I have Mirror Force and Bottomless Trap Hole. And in case she gets by _those_, I have the card I tried to destroy with Scrap Dragon just now. Backup plan after backup plan; I have this in the bag._

"You're looking confident for someone who's about to lose!" the girl laughed. "I'm up! And while all you can do is summon flashy monsters and take damage, I'll be winning _this turn_!"

"Oh, really?" Yusei challenged. "Big words from someone with nothing but defense. The way I see it, you're setting yourself up to lose."

"Is that so?" the girl challenged back, her voice filled with determination. "We'll just have to see about that! I draw!"

The girl looked at the card she drew and smiled. "Victory! Yes!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?" Yusei laughed.

"Underestimating me?" she said. "That's a mistake. Yusei, I've been the winner of this duel since turn one. I know it; my deck knows it; even your monsters know it. The only one who doesn't get it yet is you."

Yusei groaned. "Is this going to be another self-righteous card spirit speech? Because you can skip that. In fact, please do; I was just starting to really enjoy this duel."

"Oh, shut up," she said, and Yusei was surprised to once again find her looking extremely irritated. "How about this?" she said. "You give me five minutes to explain this, and if I do it to your satisfaction, and if I then _win,_ only then will you have to take me as your apprentice."

He blinked. "Oh. You were serious about that?"

"Definitely. One way or another, if we make it through this duel, I'll have nowhere to go, and you seem like the perfect person to stay with."

"Wait, _stay with?_" he cried. "You want to live with me?!"

She grinned. "Let's not worry about that just yet. Can you please just keep an open mind and _try_ to think about what I'm about to tell you?"

Yusei's first instinct was to say no and demand that she leave. And upon realizing that, he hesitated. He really was being unreasonable, wasn't he?

Truth be told, he did want to know what she was on about. He had arrived at his current conclusions on dueling only through thought and pondering, but what if she saw something he hadn't seen? He really wanted to believe he had been wrong all these years. Because even if it meant he had betrayed another group of sentient beings—this time, his deck—it would also mean that he had someone to go back to.

And, above all else, he needed someone to forgive him for all that he'd done and all that he'd failed to do.

"Fine," he said, pointing behind him, at the sky. "But make it quick: the sun's about to set. I don't want to stay up here all night."

The girl grinned.

"Alright!" she said. "So, this whole spirits thing. I'd say you had to see it for yourself, only I'm not an arrogant prick like that. It took me five years to get it when my dad _explained_ it to me. The least I can do for you is give you the same explanation."

"Explanation of what?"

The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was reverent.

"The Cosmic Miracle."

Yusei frowned.

"Cosmic what?" he said. "Did I hear that right? You just said, 'Cosmic Miracle'?"

"Yes," she answered. "At least, that's what my dad called it. He said it was the way of the world, and the way of dueling."

"The way of the world…and of dueling," Yusei repeated, starting to feel like a parrot.

She nodded.

"You say that like it's a foregone conclusion, but I don't buy it," he said honestly. "How can the _way of the world_ be related to a card game of our own invention?"

"Think about it," she told him. "From the moment we can hold a card, we're taught to duel. In this world of ours, dueling is used to solve everything, from the simplest problems to the greatest challenges. From who does the chores, to who escapes the police, to who _controls the world_."

She looked at him expectantly, but he said nothing; he wanted to hear more before he spoke. Sighing, she continued.

"Our civilization, our entire way of life, is based on a children's card game. Any other people who'd never heard of it would find it absurd."

At this, Yusei shook his head. "We've been over this. It isn't absurd; it's just something people like to do, enough that it became a cornerstone of society."

She shook her head back at him. "Just something people like to do? Yusei, I just _told _you—not that you, of all people, need telling—this card game isn't _just for fun_. It has the power to decide the fates of billions."

"You're just repeating our earlier conversation," Yusei said. "Yes, dueling has had the power to save the world, but only because we gave it that power."

"That's what it seems like, isn't it?" she said. "But it's the other way around. We didn't give dueling its power. Dueling gave us ours."

Once again, she stopped and waited, as if expecting him to say something, and, once again he was silent, waiting for her to continue. She made a small frustrated noise.

"I guess it's not going to work that way, is it?" she muttered, and Yusei felt like she was talking more to herself than to him. "No, of course not. You idiot…shut up, I tried. I know he can't—oh. Oh."

She looked back at him. He stood there, regarding her wordlessly. His mind, which he thought should have been running at maximum, was quiet and peaceful. He was simply enjoying the serenity of the moment, of dueling on the same field, if not the same side, as his old deck again.

"Wow," he heard the girl say. "He's really out of it. Yusei!"

The mention of his name snapped him back to reality

"Huh?" he said intelligently.

The girl sighed again. "Listen, I'm sorry. I can't explain the big picture to you just yet. It doesn't work that way. Rules, you know. They won't…"

The rest of her words faded to a comforting lull as Yusei sank back into the dreamlike state. For an instant, he wondered if maybe he should listen…but no, she would tell him, wouldn't she? Yeah, she would. If she wanted him to listen, she would just say so. She was nice like that. Really pretty, too. Yusei didn't think he'd seen anyone as—

"Okay, no!" she shouted, and Yusei snapped back to attention.

"Wha?"

She shook her head. "This isn't going to work."

_Of course not, did you really think you could win in one turn?_

The girl looked taken aback for a moment, and Yusei realized he had said that out loud. Before he could say anything else, the girl smiled. But it didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh, my victory has already been set," she said confidently.

"You did say that," Yusei said, "but you never did say why. I can only conclude that you're bluffing."

The girl seemed to think about that for a bit, cocking her head to the side and gazing steadily at him. Yusei simply waited. He'd seen enough bluffs to know what she was doing.

"I see," she finally said quietly.

"Given up yet?" Yusei laughed.

"Not quite. But I think I've found the starting point."

"The…what?"

"The starting point," she repeated. "The first step to explaining the…"

Yusei simply waited for her to elaborate. Until she did, he was comfortable where he was. He didn't even care that their duel had been stalled; this girl was fun to be around. He wondered if…

/-/

"Ugh, I hate this!" she cried. "How am I supposed to work like this? He keeps running into mindblocks, and there's no way for me to tell him _anything!_"

The object of her frustrations was currently staring blankly into space, wearing a smile that would shame the happiest clown.

"How does he not even realize how _illogical_ he's being? And all the crap he keeps opportunely forgetting and remembering…what is this?"

_It is annoying,_ Steam said, _but do remember: you only learned it through explanation because you could. I doubt your father taught it to anyone else that way._

"What are you talking about?" she asked him.

Steam sighed. _You have an affinity for this type of thought. It's why you could see duel spirits, even before the accident._

"Well, yes, I know that," she said, "but isn't Yusei a Signer? Shouldn't he have an _affinity for this kind of thought,_ too?"

_I'm not sure,_ Steam said. _I can think of two reasons why that wouldn't matter, though. For one, he may no longer be a Signer. The Crimson Dragon may very well have retracted its powers when the other five died, and the Signer Dragons might hold no more weight than any other duel spirit now._

"Well, that's annoying," she huffed.

_It is,_ Steam agreed. _And as unlikely as that possibility is, it still beats the second one: he might not be responding as easily as you were able to, because, Signer or not, nobody can ever have the same connection with us that you have._

She frowned at that. "So you're saying it's hopeless."

_I'm saying it might be hopeless,_ he corrected.

"Well, I refuse to believe that!" she said. "Yusei! Wake the _hell_ up, now!"

Yusei jumped. "What?"

"Listen to me, Yusei," she said seriously. "What do you remember?"

His brow furrowed. "Remember?"

"What have we been talking about for the past five minutes?" she clarified.

"Oh! Well…" he paused. "Oh, yeah. I ended my turn, and then you Summoned all those Hero Kids, and then you drew and said you would be winning this turn, and then…you started talking about spirits and all that, and I guess I kind of spaced out there…sorry."

_No way! He doesn't remember anything!_

_Keep your cool,_ Steam said. _You'll get through this. For now, focus on just winning the duel, since you can't really do much else._

"Fine," she said aloud, and Yusei startled again.

"Are you going to make a move?" he asked, and she looked up to see him squinting into the setting sun. "Or have you given up?"

"Not a chance," she said, as she examined the field one last time. Yusei had three cards facedown, and Scrap Dragon in Attack Mode. She had two backrows Set, along with her three Hero Kids, and the three cards in her hand.

_Soon to be more._

"You may think I haven't a chance of beating you, Yusei," she said, "but even in this state, I still have hope. And I'm about to bring that hope to life! I add Junk Synchron to my hand by the effect of my Reincarnation of Hope!"

She shuffled through her deck and pulled out a card, which she added to her hand.

"Now, I Summon him!"

The orange-clad, cowboyish warrior spun into existence at the edge of the ravine and struck a pose in front of her, his white headband blowing in his wake.

**Junk Synchron**

**{3} (*Warrior*) [DARK]**

**ATK: 1300**

"And when he's Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon one Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position, with its effect negated. I choose the first card I sent as a cost for my Hope! Come on out, Turbo Synchron!"

**The small monster zoomed out of her Graveyard to join her army. It looked like a little boy wearing a green-and-yellow rocket-propelled suit of armor with curves instead of edges.**

**Turbo Synchron**

**{1} (*Machine*) [WIND]**

**DEF: 500**

**As Turbo Synchron flew into the air, it looked at Yusei and jerked.**

_Is that…_

_Yes,_ she said. _That's Yusei._

Junk Synchron let out a high-pitched wail. _No way! How is that Yusei? His energy is all wrong; he's been contaminated!_

Ugh, these guys really got on her nerves sometimes. They were such wimps!

_Of course we're helping him,_ she snapped. _Why do you think we're here?_

The two spirits looked at her.

_Oh, thank you, thank you! _Turbo Synchron sighed.

_Please, oh please, can we help you?_ Junk Synchron asked.

_You will,_ she sighed. _Believe me, I can't do this without you._

/-/

**_She just Summoned two Tuners…and she has three Level 2 monsters besides them. Does that mean—_**

**"Now, it's time!" the girl cried. "I tune Level 2 Hero Kid with my Level 3 Junk Synchron!"**

**2 + 3 = 5**

**Yusei watched as the monsters rose into the air, as the three rings encircled the pair of stars, as the light began to brighten.**

**"I hate to have to be the one to say this when you're around," said the girl, "but if you won't call your monsters, well, I've been with them long enough to know how to do it myself!"**

**She placed her hand over her heart and began to recite Yusei's Synchro Summon chant:**

**"****Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!****"**

**Junk Warrior**

**{5} (Warrior) [DARK]**

**ATK: 2300**

**Junk Warrior appeared, a knight wrapped in blue and gray metal, with a cannon on its right wrist. It loosed its traditional cannon burst upon summoning, then settled next to Turbo Synchron.**

**Yusei stared in awe at his monster. After five years apart, he still remembered the exact stance that his monster would take, the way the sun would glint off of its armor, the way he clenched his mechanical fists at his sides when he was ready for a fight.**

**_No, that's not how it was_****, he reminded himself._ He—_it_—was never "ready for a fight." It was all in my head, I_**_—_

**The girl interrupted his thoughts. "Now Junk Warrior gains Attack equal to the Attack of all Level 2 or below monsters I control. That's 600 from the two remaining Hero Kids, and 100 from Turbo Synchron, for a grand total of 700 points!"**

**Junk Warrior**

**ATK: 2300 + 300 + 300 + 100 = 3000**

**_3000 Attack Points? This girl is something else. But I'm not going to let her do this!_**

**"I activate the Trap Card, Bottomless Trap Hole!" Yusei declared. "When you Summon a monster with 1500 or more Attack, I can banish it with this card!"**

**A hole appeared below Junk Warrior, and just as he was about to fall into it—**

**"Oh, please!" the girl said. "I reveal my final face-down card: Trap Stun! This card negates the effects of all Traps other than itself for the rest of this turn!"**

**Yusei's trap fizzled and vanished.**

**_No way! With just one move, she's shut down my Bottomless Trap Hole, and my facedown Mirror Force!_**

**"Hah!" the girl cheered. "Didn't see _that_ one coming, did you?"**

**"No," Yusei admitted, "I didn't."**

**_Her Junk Warrior has more Attack than my Scrap Dragon now, and I can't block its attack. But that doesn't matter. The card I tried to destroy earlier with Scrap Dragon was a Spell. She may have prevented me from using Traps, but I can still take her by surprise with this one! All she has to do now is attack._**

**"All I have to do now is…activate this Spell!"**

**_What? What more does she need to win?_**

**"I like to be careful," the girl told him. "For all I know, those facedowns of yours are Spells, and I'm not safe at all."**

**_Alright, so she's smart_****.**

**"That's why now, I'll activate the Spell card, Instant Fusion!"**

**_Fusion? That must be another one of her cards._**

**"The cost for activating this card is 1000 Life Points," the girl explained.**

**?**

**LP: 4000 – 1000 = 3000**

**"Now that I've done that, I can Fusion Summon one Level 5 or below Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, but it can't attack, and it's destroyed during the End Phase."**

**"Then what's the point?" Yusei couldn't help wondering.**

**"You'll see," the girl said mysteriously. "Now come! ****My guardian,****Elemental HERO Steam Healer****!"**

**A blue vortex appeared behind the girl, and from it emerged a purple-and-red-armored figure. Its suit covered its whole body except for its face, and the palms of its thick fists were equipped with cannons. Yusei saw silver pipes jutting out of the suit at seemingly random intervals, especially near the shoulder area, below which hung two tanks of what he assumed was water. As the monster descended to the battlefield, steam began pouring from its pipes and palm-cannons.**

**Elemental HERO Steam Healer**

**{5} (Warrior) [WATER]**

**ATK: 1800**

**"Thanks for joining us, Steam," the girl said. "Now you can be part of my victory!"**

**And for just a fraction of a second, Yusei thought he saw the hero…**

**_Probably the sun in my eyes,_**** he thought.**

**And even if it wasn't, there were more immediate issues to deal with.**

**_An Instant Fusion. Why would she do that? Unless…Level 5…and her other monsters—_**

**"No way," Yusei breathed.**

**"Oh, yes _way_!" the girl shouted. "I now tune Level 5 Steam Healer with Level 2 Hero Kid, and Level 1 Turbo Synchron!"**

**5 + 2 + 1 = 8**

**_This is…_**

**He knew he shouldn't care, but this sudden dread was like nothing he had ever felt.**

**_This is it._**

**Somehow, suddenly, he knew this was the final test. There was no warning, no sign. But he knew. Past all his rationalizingg, the truth would be revealed right here, with this monster. He would know it if it was true. And if he felt nothing here, then all that he had once worked for and believed in would be a lie. The world would be empty of duel spirits. And Yusei would have no one.**

**_I can't let this happen, I can't. I'm not ready to know yet!_**

**"Yusei!" the girl called out. "I don't care if you think dueling is just a silly game! Did you ever stop to think that it could still make you happy?"**

**_Dueling, make me happy? After I failed my friends because of it? After I—_**

**"Stop beating yourself up over the past! It's over and done with; there's nothing you can do to change it. All you can do is all you've ever done: Focus on the future!"**

**_The future…_**

**"Your wish, Yusei. What do you most want?" the girl said, and in that split second, with the light of the setting sun behind her, Yusei thought she looked like an angel.**

**"I—I don't know!" he cried out, vision blurring, eyes stinging. "I don't know what I want!"**

**"Well, I do!" she proclaimed. "And here it is!"**

**Yusei watched with tears in his eyes as Turbo Warrior became a slowly revolving green ring. He listened as the strange girl who knew so much placed her hand on her heart and began to speak:**

**"****Clustering wishes will become a new, shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!****"**

**He could not move, could not speak, could not think**.

**"****Synchro Summon!****"**

He didn't care; he cared; it was just a monster; it was—

**"Take flight! Stardust Dragon!****"**

**Yusei gazed upon the blinding light as it gave way to a storm of spiraling stars that shaped themselves into the form of a dragon. He stood, unable to think, as the dragon solidified into the monster he knew so well. The monster on which he had hinged all his hopes for so long. The monster on which he hinged all his hopes now.**

**Stardust Dragon**

**{8} (Dragon) [WIND]**

**ATK: 2500**

**And the dragon raised its head and roared, spreading its wings to catch the last rays of the sun. Ethereal and grandiose, it flew, unafraid, to the edge of the Dragon's Ravine, azure scales shining with all the pride of truth. The guardian of the cosmos alighted on the earth, resplendent in its glory.**

**_A hologram. A pawn in a children's card game._**

**No.**

**Looking now at the beauty he had left behind, Yusei knew there was no way. No way this dragon, with its twinkling white feathers and its soulful, moaning roar, could be anything but real. His most loyal partner. His most precious friend.**

**"Stardust," he called faintly.**

**Yusei's dragon gazed at him then, its yellow eyes warm in the twilight chill. And there was no turning back from that.**

**"Alright, then," he said, spreading his arms wide. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore…but you just try and beat me! I'll stop you, and…_and_ I'll take my deck back! I'll finally prove to myself that I am what I was meant to be!"**

**"I think you've already done that," the girl said quietly, emerald eyes sparkling. "As for winning, though, well, that's another story!"**

**"Come at me and win, yourself, then!" Yusei said, smiling broadly. "You _did_ say you could win this turn, didn't you?"**

**"I did, and I will!" the girl proclaimed. "I switch my final Hero Kid to Attack Mode, and equip him with Phalanx Pike!"**

**The child hero assumed a fighting stance, and in his hand appeared a golden spear.**

**Hero Kid**

**ATK: 300**

**"Phalanx Pike gives my monster 900 extra Attack for every monster that shares its name in both Graveyards," the girl said.**

**Yusei nodded. "There are two Hero Kids in the Graveyard…"**

**"…so my Hero Kid gains 1800 Attack points!"**

**Hero Kid**

**ATK: 300 + 2*(900) = 2100**

**"2100 Attack is still not enough to get past my dragon," Yusei said.**

**"Did you forget?" the girl laughed. "Junk Warrior has 3000 Attack! Enough to destroy your Scrap Dragon!"**

**Yusei just smiled.**

**"Battle!" the girl cried. "Go, Junk Warrior! Attack Scrap Dragon with ****Scrap Fist!****"**

**Junk Warrior's arm-cannon began to glow with fire as he rose into the night sky, blotting out the faint silhouette of the rising moon. When he was twenty feet above them, the knight dove forward toward Yusei's monster.**

**_Gotcha._**

**"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Shrink!" he declared. "This card cuts your monster's original Attack Points in half!"**

**Junk Warrior**

**ORIGINAL ATK: 2300/2 = 1150**

**ATK: 1150 + 700 = 1850**

**"Now my Scrap Dragon has more Attack Points than any card on your field, and Junk Warrior is heading for his doom!"**

**"I wouldn't count on that!" the girl said.**

**_What?_**

**"I knew you'd have a Spell Card," she said. "It's so like you. That's why, right when I declared an attack, I activated a Spell of my own. And now it resolves! Go, Ego Boost!"**

**Junk Warrior suddenly stopped in mid-dive as a path of yellow energy began to flow from the card into his body.**

**"This card gives my monster 1000 extra Attack Points until the end of this turn!" the girl said. "Sometimes, it's not a bad thing if you're full of yourself. Especially if you plan to win!"**

**Junk Warrior**

**ATK: 1850 + 1000 = 2850**

**"2850? But that means…"**

**"Yep! That's _just _enough to take out your Scrap Dragon and leave you wide open!"**

**Junk Warrior continued his dive, slamming into Yusei's dragon and shattering it.**

**Yusei**

**LP: 4000 – 50 = 3950**

**"Amazing…"**

**_Take that, you punk! Yeah! Go, Junk Warrior!_**

**"Now, Hero Kid, go! Attack Yusei with ****Solidarity Slash!"**

**The young warrior dove toward Yusei, piercing him through the stomach with his spear.**

**Yusei**

**LP: 3950 – 2100 = 1850**

**And Yusei laughed, a giddy, joyful laugh that he had not laughed in almost five years. **

**"You're amazing," he said again.**

The girl's cheeks turned a faint pink, and she smiled. "Thanks, I try. Now, are you ready for this?"

Yusei nodded. "Give it everything you've got."

"It's all up to you, then, Stardust!" the girl said, looking at the dragon. "This is the last time you'll serve me. Ready to go back to your master?"

Stardust Dragon looked at Yusei and let out a happy roar.

"Okay then!" the girl shouted, wiping her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you! Don't forget me!"

The dragon growled gently.

"Alright…it's been fun!" she said, then she looked straight at Yusei, joy and pride making her face shine. "Go, Stardust Dragon! End this duel! Attack Yusei with **Cosmic Flare!**"

With a reverberating roar of delight, the dragon soared up high and beckoned to the rising stars. Immediately, its mouth was filled with light, and it shot that light directly at Yusei.

**Yusei**

**LP: 1850 – 2500 = 0**

And as the ravine and its monsters faded into wisps and the girl ran up to him, laughing, Yusei smiled and closed his eyes.

_I'm back to what I was, now. I'm moving forward once again._

/-/

"So. Here it is, in all its glory," she said, handing him his deck.

"Thanks," he said, taking it and sliding it into his Duel Disk. "I can't believe I'd forgotten how great it was to duel with my deck. That I'd forgotten…so much. Thank you for reminding me, even when I didn't want to remember."

"Of course, you're welcome!" she said happily. "And of course, _I'm_ welcome to be your dueling apprentice!"

Yusei groaned. "I got so caught up in the duel, I totally forgot about that."

"Well, I didn't!" she said brightly, settling on his couch and grabbing her unfinished piece of cake. "Good thing, huh?"

"Yeah. Good," he said softly.

Yusei watched her eat for a while, marveling at how this one girl was able to restore his hope with one duel, when nothing else had been able to in five years.

_Maybe I _should_ take her on as an apprentice. She's already proven to be an excellent duelist_.

_Oi! Forgetting something?_

It was the same voice Yusei thought he had heard when Scrap Dragon was destroyed. And it was coming from his deck.

The girl let out a shriek, and, next thing he knew, she was grabbing his deck from his disk and searching through it.

"Was that voice what I…?"

_Oh, now he can hear me._

The girl paused her rummaging and looked up at Yusei. "You can hear him?"

Yusei shrugged. He didn't know how to react to this. Just an hour ago, he was convinced that duel spirits didn't exist. Now, however, the very notion seemed silly. And yet…

"Yeah, I can hear him," he said. "But I've never been able to before."

_And while I'd love to sit here and wait for her to explain all the details and particulars, I'm kind of in a tight spot here! Scrap Dragon is throwing a nasty fit._

The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine fine, I'm getting you the fast way." She reached into his deck and pulled out cards seemingly at random, but when she showed them to him, Yusei saw that they were all the cards from her deck.

_Hero Kids, Phalanx Pike, Instant Fusion, and—_

"Yusei, meet Elemental HERO Steam Healer," the girl said.

_Steam for short,_ Steam Healer said as he appeared next to her, five feet tall and see-through. _Good to finally meet you, Yusei._

"Uh…"

The girl laughed. "I know this can be a lot to take in," she said. "We won't be annoyed if you have questions. We'll answer them all."

_You mean you'll answer them all,_ Steam said. _Sorry, but I have to go report to Yu._

She nodded. "That'd be a good idea," she said, and the hero disappeared.

The girl turned to Yusei, took a huge bite of cake, and winked.

He thought it would be like in the movies, and he would be too shocked to say anything, so his next words took him by surprise.

"Where'd you get an Elemental Hero?"

"Hmmphph?" she replied, her mouth full of cake. She swallowed. "I mean: What about my Heroes?"

"_Your _Heroes?" Yusei was almost certain he had heard wrong. "The Elemental Hero cards were owned by Jaden Yuki, the greatest duelist of his time! All his cards were supposedly lost forever when he died ten years ago. That you even have one is…well, where'd you get it—him? And did you just say you had more?"

The girl laughed. "That's right, I do have a few of the Elemental Heroes with me. Steam Healer's my guardian spirit."

"But…how?" he said. "Who are you, that you would have _any_ of the Elemental Heroes?"

"Hmmm…" She twisted a strand of hair around her finger, then she shrugged and held out her deck. "Here, take a look."

Yusei did, and was astounded. "Avian…Burstinatrix…Clayman…Sparkman…and all the Fusion Monsters, too!" He handed them back and looked at the girl. "What is this? How do you have Jaden Yuki's deck?"

"Simple," she said, smiling as she stuck out her hand. "Hello, Yusei Fudo, or should I say, _Master_. Allow me to formally introduce myself."

She grinned, green eyes shining, and held up her vacated Steam Healer card.

"My name is Mira. Mira Yuki."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"_Giving up everything has made me finally realize... there was something in the depths of my heart holding me up..."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Whoa. This turned out long as _hell_. Don't expect this to be the case ever again, haha. But yeah, I hope you liked it. Comments and criticism welcome, and have a good night.

(Oh, and credit to dabestgamer for the Dragunity Synchro chants. S/he's actually the one who inspired me to write this fic, so yeah.)

Next episode is called, "A Burst of Steam."


End file.
